Man suspected of fleeing crash, leaving daughter alone on freeway

A man is suspected of leaving his injured 12-year-old daughter alone on the shoulder of a St. Paul freeway in a thunderstorm after authorities say he crashed his car and fled the scene, the Pioneer Press reports.

A search warrant made public Wednesday in Ramsey County District Court says the man, 41, crashed his car – reportedly into a highway wall – at about 10:30 p.m. Sunday while driving east on I-94 at U.S. 52.

According to FOX 9, witnesses saw the man and his daughter get out of the vehicle after the crash and argue, before the man got back into his vehicle and drove away without her. The station says the man was stopped by Maplewood police about six miles down the road, after the girl called 911 to report the incident.

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The girl reportedly complained of abdominal pains, and according to FOX 9 she was transported to a nearby hospital, but her condition is unknown.

The Pioneer Press says the Minnesota State Patrol executed a search warrant shortly after midnight seeking a blood sample from the man. A state trooper said in an affidavit in support of the warrant he believed the man was under the influence of a controlled substance, although it's not clear exactly when the trooper made contact with the man.

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The man has not been formally charged, and his city of residence was not noted on the search warrant.

The Pioneer Press says the man has previously been charged with dozens of driving offenses, and FOX 9 reports investigators said he was driving on a revoked license.

In a similar case in July, a Brooklyn Park father was charged with eight different offenses after police say he crashed his van and fled the scene of the accident, leaving one of his children with a fractured spine and the other with a severely broken leg.

The charges against Earl Lionell Ward, 45, included criminal vehicular operation causing great bodily harm while under the influence, endangerment of a child, and violation of a domestic abuse no contact order.